Saudi coalition says it intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles heading toward Riyadh

Interception over Riyadh

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government announced on Thursday that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis toward the Saudi capital. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki reported this (Anadolu).

Warnings to residents

Even before the coalition's statement, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense sent emergency warnings via the National Early Warning Platform to residents of Riyadh, the Al-Kharj governorate in the center of the country, and the southern city of Najran. A few minutes later, the agency announced that the danger had passed, urging residents to continue following safety instructions and to avoid crowds and filming.

Context

According to Anadolu, Saudi Arabia is regularly subjected to Houthi missile and drone attacks amid the escalation of the conflict in neighboring Yemen. Since 2015, the kingdom has led a military coalition in support of Yemen's recognized government against the Houthis, who have controlled the country's capital, Sanaa, and a number of other provinces since 2014. The report of the interception comes from the coalition itself; the publication provides no independent confirmation of the scale of the attack.